There is something numbing about the thump of a ball into a glove and the crack of a bat when heard in a gymnasium.It sounds out of place and artificial.That sound has been heard all too often in the area this year, and Trinity Christian College is no exception. Both the baseball and softball teams had a week’s worth of contests erased by the inclement weather that has wreaked havoc on schedules across the Midwest.The Trolls baseball squad had all five games scheduled since its return from Florida wiped out. Trinity is slated to play Holy Cross College on Saturday at Notre Dame, if weather and field conditions permit, and then follow up with a doubleheader at home on Sunday.

While every Moraine Valley College athlete anxiously awaits a shift away from cold weather, one Cyclones spring sports team must also deal with a change in leadership.The men’s tennis squad, long the domain of school athletic director Bill Finn, is now guided by Ben Thompson. Thompson inherits a program that welcomes back four members of the crew that took third in regional play a year ago. While certainly a credible showing, that finishing spot deprived Moraine of a team berth in the national tournament. The narrow miss is being used as motivation by returning all-region player Tim Stewart (Stagg), as well as fellow veterans Ryan Adamski, Christian Lagunas and Brad Smith (Sandburg). Expected to join them as steady contributors in 2014 are newcomers Kevin Karczynski, Mike Broderick, Bryan Jimenez (Shepard) and Alec Mikes.“I’m very excited for the season and happy with everyone on the team,” Thompson said. “They put in more work than I asked and have gone above and beyond before the season even started.

Some good deeds do get rewarded.While the 2013-14 men’s and women’s basketball campaigns didn’t feature the kind of postseason success that was hoped for, some St. Xavier University student-athletes nevertheless received individual storybook endings. And in a few instances, those rewards recognized them as both athletes and students.Five Cougars, in fact, were feted for academics by being named as Daktronics Scholar-Athletes. Tabbed for honors in the NAIA Division II men’s basketball category were senior Brad Karp and junior Brandon Marren, while the trio of juniors Suzie Broski, Maloree Johnson and Morgan Stuut were similarly cited in NAIA Division II women’s hoops. A total of 134 men and 244 women nationwide were chosen as Daktronics Scholar-Athletes. In order to be nominated by an institution’s head coach or sports information director, a student-athlete must maintain a minimum 3.5 grade-point average on a 4.0 scale, have achieved junior academic status and have completed at least one year at the nominating school.Karp carries a 3.56 cumulative GPA while majoring in biology, Marren is at 3.65 while studying history with an emphasis on secondary education, Broski and Johnson both sport perfect 4.0 GPAs while pursuing their respective degrees in biology and management/accounting, and Stuut has a 3.87 GPA as a nursing major.

St. Laurence is seeking a new varsity basketball coach after previous coach Mark Sevedge was not retained.Sevedge, who recently completed his fifth season in charge of the Vikings, posted a 31-106 record during his tenure. Prior to taking over for Tom Pallerdy, Sevedge spent six years in the program as an assistant. He also played for St. Laurence in the 1990s.“We worked hard and I’m disappointed the kids weren’t able to enjoy more success,” Sevedge said.

“I want to thank Coach Sevedge for his 11 years of dedication to the St. Laurence basketball program,” school athletic director Tim Chandler said in a statement. “A decision like this is never easy, especially with a coach who is so passionate about the school. However, I felt that a change in leadership in the basketball program was necessary for the long-term success of the program.”

As impressive as Sandburg’s boys’ water polo team was last week — it opened the 2014 season with three victories and scored a total of 45 goals in those matches — Eagles coach Jim Caliendo was most satisfied with his squad’s defensive effort.

Sandburg started with a 10-4 victory over Lincoln-Way North in a SouthWest Suburban Conference crossover match and then crushed Bremen co-op 18-2 and Hinsdale South 17-4 in nonconference encounters on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively.“I’ve definitely seen what I expected on offense because of the kids that I’ve seen who have been leading the way in practice,” Caliendo said. “What I’m really pleased with is our defense. “Our team defense has really done well against the teams we’ve played thus far. That was a little unexpected and, therefore, a nice surprise.”Against Lincoln-Way North, Zach Roper paced the Eagles with seven goals. His five goals propelled them past Bremen, and then Roper (six goals) and Mitch Zieler (five) led the charge for Sandburg in its romp over Hinsdale. Sean McNicholas registered 11 saves in the latter match.